ANTI-THIEF ELECTRONIC DEVICE AND METHOD THEREOF

• US 20080030331A1
• Filed: 08/04/2006
• Published: 02/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: ATEN International Company Limited
• Original Assignee: ATEN International Company Limited
• Inventors: Chen, Chein-chung, Huang, Shih-yuan, Chen, Sun-chung, Yu, Chien-wen
• Application Number:
  US11/462,650
• Publication Number:
  US 20080030331A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/568.2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/85 interconnection devices, e.g. bus-connected or in-line devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/88 Detecting or preventing theft or loss
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/023 Arrangements for converting discrete items of information into a coded form, e.g. arrangements for interpreting keyboard generated codes as alphanumeric codes, operand codes or instruction codes
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1418 Removal detected by failure in electrical connection between the appliance and a control centre, home control panel or a power supply

Abstract

An anti-thief electronic device capable of confirming respective existing statuses of a plurality of apparatuses coupled thereto and method thereof is disclosed. The anti-thief electronic device includes a first table, a second table, a micro control unit and an alert device. The first table stores respective initial existing statuses of the apparatuses coupled to the anti-thief electronic device as regular existing statuses. The second table stores respective existing statuses of the apparatuses periodically. The micro control unit periodically compares the second table with the first table to confirm whether the respective existing statuses of the apparatuses are changed or not. The alert device generates an alert if the respective existing statuses of the apparatuses are changed. Specifically, the micro control unit periodically queries an extended display identification data from the display for detecting the removal of the display.

Claims

1. An anti-thief electronic device capable of confirming respective existing statuses of a plurality of apparatuses coupled thereto, the anti-thief electronic device comprising:

a first table, storing respective initial existing statuses of the apparatuses coupled to the anti-thief electronic device as regular existing statuses;

a second table, storing respective existing statuses of the apparatuses periodically;

a micro control unit, periodically comparing the second table with the first table to confirm whether the respective existing statuses of the apparatuses are changed or not; and

an alert device, generating an alert if the respective existing statuses of the apparatuses are changed.

2. The anti-thief electronic device of claim 1, wherein one of the apparatuses is selected from the group consisting of a keyboard, a mouse, a display, a computer and a network equipment.

3. The anti-thief electronic device of claim 2, wherein the micro control unit obtains an existing status of the display by querying an extended display identification data via a display data channel from the display.

4. The anti-thief electronic device of claim 2, wherein the micro control unit obtains an existing status of the keyboard by sending an echo command to the keyboard.

5. The anti-thief electronic device of claim 2, wherein the micro control unit obtains an existing status of the mouse by sending an echo command to the mouse.

6. The anti-thief electronic device of claim 2, wherein the micro control unit obtains an existing status of the network equipment by detecting a carrier of linking the network equipment.

7. The anti-thief electronic device of claim 1, further comprising a memory for saving the first table and the second table.

8. The anti-thief electronic device of claim 1, wherein values in the first table corresponding to the respective initial existing statuses are inputtable.

9. The anti-thief electronic device of claim 1 is selected from the group consisting of a keyboard-vide-mouse switch, a keyboard-vide-mouse extender, a video extender and a video splitter.

10. A method of anti-thief for a plurality of apparatuses coupled to an anti-thief electronic device by confirming respective existing statuses of the apparatuses, the method comprising steps of:

obtaining the respective existing statuses of the apparatuses;

storing respective initial existing statuses of the apparatuses coupled to the anti-thief electronic device as regular existing statuses in a first table;

storing respective existing statuses of the apparatuses periodically in a second table;

periodically comparing the second table with the first table to confirm whether the respective existing statuses of the apparatuses are changed or not; and

generating an alert if the respective existing statuses of the apparatuses are changed.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein one of the apparatuses is selected from the group consisting of a keyboard, a mouse, a display, a computer and a network equipment.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising a step of querying an extended display identification data via a display data channel from the display to obtain an existing status of the display.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising a step of sending an echo command to the keyboard to obtain an existing status of the keyboard.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising a step of sending an echo command to the mouse to obtain an existing status of the mouse.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising a step of detecting a carrier of linking the network equipment to obtain an existing status of the network equipment.

16. The method of claim 16, further comprising a step of inputting at least one of values corresponding to the respective initial existing statuses in the first table.

17. An anti-thief electronic device capable of detecting removal of a display coupled thereto via a cable, the anti-thief electronic device comprising:

a micro control unit, periodically sending a querying command to the display to determine whether a response from the display is retrieved or not; and

an alert device, generating an alert if the response data is not retrieved.

18. The anti-thief electronic device of claim 17, wherein the micro control unit sends the querying command via a display data channel to the display.

19. The anti-thief electronic device according to claim 17, wherein the response is an extended display identification data.

20. The anti-thief electronic device according to claim 17, wherein the cable is a VGA cable.

21. A method of anti-thief for a display by detecting removal of the display coupled to an anti-thief electronic device via a cable, the method comprising steps of:

periodically sending a querying command to the display;

determining whether a response from the display is retrieved or not; and

generating an alert if the response is not retrieved.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the querying command is sent via a display data channel to the display.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the response is an extended display identification data from the display for detecting the removal of the display.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the cable is a VGA cable.